Good growers know that to produce exceptional wines, they must start with top quality fruit. The scale of operations for most Yarra Valley vineyards borders on the boutique, making impracticable the automation which other regions enjoy. Hands on viticulture and a reliance on the vagaries of mother nature may be traditionalist and old hat, but close contact with the vines yields the finest fruit. A Chardonnay that's elegant with exuberant aromas of stonefruit and vanilla, closely followed by a buttery palate of cashews and citrus, melon and peach.

The chilly early mists, exhilerating maritime breezes and undulating terroirs of Mornington are heaven sent for the realization of Burgundy styled Chardonnay wines. Half the plantings at Hillcrest Road are Chardonnay, one and a half acres of a single clone, originally intended for an elite sparkling Cuvee. Such is the quality of fruit, its remarkable concentration of flavour and flawless acidity, choice parcels are set aside for a pure varietal wine. Structured, seamless and intense, single vineyard block Mornington Chardonnay of the highest order.

Hillcrest Road was established to one and a half hectares I10V clone Chardonnay in 1993, with a view to creating a limited release, flagship Mornington sparkling Cuvée. Over two decades later, the cosseted vines are yielding a harvest of the most exquisitely balanced fruit, intensely tropical in nature, invigorate by the most refined chalky acidity. Treated to the luxury of full Methode traditioneele, an extravagant three years bottle maturation and remuage on yeast lees, brimming with the finest mousse and articulating the opulence of autolysis richness.

An extremely limited release every year, crafted from grapes picked off the same property which makes the illustrious Sangreal Pinot Noir, a highly mineral site for the growing of Chardonnay in the style of Chablis. By Farr is a profound expression of uniqueness in terroir. A Victorian flagship Chardonnay, exhibiting exquisite balance between fruit freshness and power, texture and minerality. A regimen of lees stirring and full malolactic, further contribute to the understated richness of an immensely engaging white wine.

A compilation of the finest parcels Chardonnay available to the Brown Brothers winemaking team, hand picked and whole bunch pressed into a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques for a rich course of ferments and completion of full malolactic, a year's maturation and the luxury of regular lees stirring battonage for textural opulence and intriguing complexity. Stone fruits and cashew, citrus and pear, elegant with crystalline minerality and struck match complexity, a long lingering palate, structured and seamless, resplendent and refined.

It was the compelling efforts of the artisanal Giaconda which placed Beechworth on the map for world class Chardonnay. Indigo Vineyard is a close neighbour, younger in age and slightly different in terms of aspect and clime, it yields a quality of Chardonnay which lends itself to a more modern style of winemaking. A measure of old world practices are nevertheless employed, wild ferments in new French oak and a judicious term of age, the objective is to encourage fruit to unlock its potential, while retaining natural eloquence and sense of place.

The philosophy at Bress is that good fruit should be treated with respect, to let the wine make itself on its own time in its own way, with a minimal of intervention. A collation of superb Yarra Valley vineyards, grapes are gently whole bunch pressed to a mix of fermenters and seasoned French oak hogsheads for an exclusively wild yeast vinification, followed by six months lees stirring battonage. A fruit filled Chablis style, redolent of white peach, grapefruits and nectarine, exquiste balance throughout, an intensely savoury mid palate richness.

Chardonnay has been central to the Blue Pyrenees program, since the noble Maisons of Heidsieck and Krug settled on the Grampians, to create new world wines which could articulate the affinity between Victoria's western districts and the premier precincts of France. Ostensibly planted as the essential backbone for the finest sparkling, the brow raising matchstick style of incisive, contemplative Chardonnay, textural with delicately oaked peachyness, barrel ferment autolysis, persistent grapefuit piquancy and lingering mineral crispness.

Sourced from vines planted in 1988 to quartz alluvial and volcanic soils on the lower slopes of Bindi. A beautifully fine and flavoursome wine, Composition can characterized by its fragrant notes of orange blossom, nectarine stone, spice and subtle nuttiness over a vibrant, tight and lengthy palate highlighted by clean acidity, wonderful texture and superb length. The site is special, increasingly low impact, organic outcomes are implemented, production varies from 300 to 600 dozen each vintage.

There are a mere five hectares Chardonnay at Bellvale, planted to a number of clones for opulence and complexity. Burgundian techniques of viticulture are the order of day, it is after all Gippsland, vine density is high and crop load is duly limited for harvests of the most superior quality. Time spent working vintages along the Cote d'Or translates into a refined, textural cool climate Chardonnay that's mineral and crisp, due to higher acidity, tightly structured, with a well defined balance between fruit, secondary evolved characters and seamlessly integrated oak.

The small but dedicated team at Bellvale take inspiration from the big boned Chardonnays of Cote de Beaune, drawing fruit off five closely managed hectares on the temperate, maritime windswept pasteurs of Gippsland south. Hand picking and sorting are a matter of course, lees exposure, barrel ferments and traditional Burgundian regimens add palate weight and flesh. A crisp, mineral style, defined by its penetrating acid line and evocative of Chablis, its fresh cut orchard fruit character and juicy apple zip are supported by a wafer of creamily spiced oak.

Bellingham's closely coddled block at Main Ridge yields a quality of Chardonnay which articulates the expression of a very special site. Hand picked fruit is whole bunch pressed and barrel fermented in a mix of new and seasoned French oak, followed by a traditional regimen of lees stirring and shrewd course of partial malolactic. The judiciousness of restrained oak encourages delicate white peach and subtle florals to emerge, a light toastyness and vanilla pod characters in support of juicy stone fruits, finish seamlessly on a length of perfectly pitched citrus acid.

The tranquil pasturelands of Gippsland share an affinity for Chardonnay with the timeless terroirs of La Bourgogne. Bass Phillip pioneered viticulture here, introducing the noblest of white grape in the 1980s. Phillip Jones maintains strictly controlled yields on his fastidiously husbanded Leongatha property, a costly regimen of pruning which permits less than a tonne and a half of fruit to the acre. The reward comes in the form of a buttery Montrachet style, brimming with grapefruits, bracing with crystal minerality and framed by a veneer of polished golden oak.

French influences abound at Bannockburn, where Sauvignon Blanc draws inspiration from the Sancerre districts of Vallée de la Loire, the emphasis being on elegance and depth of flavour. The maritime influenced climes surrounding Bannockburn's vineyards make for cool and stable ripening, combined with unique soils, providing sensational conditions for growing excellent Sauvignon Blanc. A combination of vinification techniques are employed to construct a singularly engaging wine, it's definitely not another boring, grassy, single dimension style.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. Bannockburn release a Chardonnay each year that accurately and faithfully reflects the merits of an exceptional terroir. This is far from easy, it is only achieved through dedication and resolve. The classic Bannockburn seashell characters are all her in good measure, as well as some interesting ginger and lemongrass, creme brulee, struck matchstick, roasted nuts and mealy influences, all beautifully integrated. Wonderful persistence and structure, the wine goes on and on, a lovely, lengthy, textural finish.